448 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 4,1801. 
- National Chkysanthemum Society. — The usual summer 
outing of the members of the above Society will this season take the 
form of a visit to Ascott Park, Leighton Buzzard, the charming 
Buckinghamshire residence of Leopold do llothschild, Esq., one of the 
Vice-Presidents of the Society. The usual time for the outing is the 
last week in July, but the date cannot be definitely fixed for a few days. 
Meanwhile the arrangements for the annual trip are being made by the 
Secretary, Mr. Eichard Dean, who wfill shortly communicate with the 
members. Ascott Park is a place full of interest, and the surroundings 
of a delightful character. An illustration and description of Ascott 
Gardens were given in the Journal of Horticulture, page 105, Feb. 5th 
this year, and the Carnations were described, pape 439, Nov. 20th, 1890. 
- Royal Botanic Society of London. —Professor Stewart, 
President of the Linnean Society, delivered at the Gardens last Friday 
the first of two lectures upon the “ Relationship Between Certain Plants 
and Animals,” dealing more particularly with the association for mutual 
assistance occurring between plants and insects, and in which the 
advantages to be derived from it are so equally divided that it is difficult 
to find out its origin. Notably has this been the case with a plant 
belonging to the Madder order, growing in Borneo. Upon its stem it 
produces hollow nest-like swellings, and these form the homes of three 
different kinds of ants, w'hich live amicably together, but turn out and 
attack in crowds any living thing touching the plant; and as these ants 
can both bite and sting the plant flourishes without fear of molestation 
from man or beast. 
-In reference to ExriiBiTiNa Grapes at the Edinburgh 
International Show, Mr. Witherspoon of the Red Rose Nurseries, 
Chester-lc-Strect, wrote at page 407, stating some difficult'cs. He now 
writes to this effect :—“ The Secretary has very kindly written to 
say that I am eligible to compete in all classes open to gardeners and 
amateurs. I am very glad that I have this news to send, as for some 
time I have determined to show at the International. This will be an 
interesting season regarding outside fruit crops, as the hardy constitu¬ 
tion of varieties will have been seriously tested.” 
- Weather at Liverpool. —As I write the weather here is 
much improved, and the temperature much higher ; but it is only 
within the last two days that the improvement has taken place. All 
last week we had heavy rains, and nearly every day the sky was over¬ 
cast with dark clouds. On Thursday afternoon a smart hailstorm 
visited us a little after 3 p.m., and one of much more severity which 
lasted for five minutes, presented itself at 8 A.M. Night temperatures : 
2.5th, 36°; 26th, 32°; 27th, 37°; 28th, 32°; 29th, 38°; 30th, 38°; 
Slst, 37°,—R. P. R. 
- Garden Prospects in Munster, —My gardening friends 
of England and Scotland have many advantages, natural and acquired, 
over us in the Emerald Isle ; but in one respect—our climate—we arc 
more fortunate than either. On several mornings, notably that of the 
18th May, I must confess I went out to my garden with a considerable 
amount of trepidation. I generally took a first look at my early 
Potatoes—Myatt’s, Ashtop Fluke, Kiltinan Kidney (local), and Seven 
Weeks that I am calculating to have fit for use in mid-June, and am 
proud to say so far they have escaped untouched. Cherries, Gooseberries, 
and Strawberries are also perfectly safe, but I cannot say the same of 
Plums and Pears. This may, however, be owing in my case to most of 
my trees being only planted last October rather than to the weather. 
Although the temperature is under the average the present moist 
w'eather presages a plentiful season in Ireland.—W. J. Murphy, 
<ilonmel. 
- Black Currant Mite Parasite. — On reading the “ In¬ 
teresting Discovery ” at page 434, I was anxious to make further 
research in the matter. I procured some buds for examination. The 
first bud I selected under a small lens showed some silky-looking 
material betraying the presence of a caterpillar, and on removing 
one of the scales of the bud I discovered a caterpillar with brown head 
and feet. It measures nearly a quarter inch long; it is visible on 
glass to the naked eye, and does not require a strong power to see it. 
I enclose it herewith roughly mounted on glass, and the bud which 
shows the galleries of the caterpillar, so that it is easy to deter¬ 
mine whether the mites have been consumed by the caterpillar. Its 
movements resemble the looper moth caterpillar, and every time I 
touched it with an instrument or finger it immediately threw out 
a silken thread and suspended itse’f to whatever touched it. — 
Wm. Thomson. [The specimen received fully illustrates our corre¬ 
spondent’s remarks.] 
-We are desired to state that the Eltham Rose and Horti¬ 
cultural Association’s annual Exhibition has been postponed until 
July 11th. 
- The Effects of Advertising.—W e are requested to state 
that since he commenced advertising the trade of Mr. William Cooper 
has increased enormously, and he has again to enlarge his premises. 
During the twelve months ending March 3l8t 2149 houses were dis¬ 
patched to various parts of Great Britain, Ireland, France, and Africa. 
-Successful Calceolaria Culture.—W ithout doubt the 
finest Calceolarias it has ever been my lot to see are at present 
flowering at The Hollies, Woolton, the residence of Thomas 
Brocklebank, Esq. Having heard from several friends of the merit of 
the Calceolarias I called on Mr. Vaughan, the gardener. The plants, 
numbering forty to. fifty, were arranged on the side stage of the con¬ 
servatory. A few of the plants are grown in 9-inch pots, and if 
they could be staked out to their full dimensions w'ould measure many 
of them 3 feet 6 through, whilst in one or two instances 4 feet would be 
the correct measurement. The remainder of the plants are grown in 5 
and 6-inch pots, and have heads measuring from 18 inches to 2 feet 6. 
The strain is Messrs. Ker’s, Aigburth Nursery, and present nearly every 
shade of colour. Asked how he managed to secure such clean healthy 
plants, Mr. Vaughan replied that he sowed the seed at the present time 
last year, and grew the plants as cool as possible. Careful watering 
and using the syringe twice a day, are the means attained to bring about 
such excellent results, and Mr. Vaughan is to be complimented on such 
successful culture.—R. P. R. 
- Narcissus maximus from Spain. — Mr, Hartland might 
have seen from my first note on this matter that I did not write with 
a view to what he calls controversy, but simply to ask him, as a favour 
to those who desire only accurate facts to be recorded concerning the 
geographical distribution of the Narcissi, not to speak with certainty 
where he cannot have certain knowledge. What is certain in the 
matter under discussion is this, that these Pyrenean collectors and 
dealers have over and over again made untrue statements as to the 
origin of the bulbs which they sell. There is also considerable evi¬ 
dence that garden bulbs have been sent out by them as collected. 
But Mr. Hartland knows that I spoke as being quite uncertain myself, 
and admitted the possibility of N. maximus being Spanish, deprecating 
only the air of certainty which appeared in Mr. Hartland’s first note. 
As to the pale maximus-like flowers, I am familiar with them. My 
friend, Mr. Wolley Dod, has obtained them from the Pyrenean district— 
not, however, from the Spanish side—and has more than once exhi' 
bited very fine samples at the R.H.S. meetings. I have some in my 
own garden.— G. H. Engleheart, 
- Plants in Fertilised Moss. —It is doubtful if the merits 
of fertilised moss arc sufficiently recognised among plant growers 
generally, but more would commence using it if they were fully 
aware what remarkable results can be achieved wdth its aid. Captain 
Thomson, Port View, Exeter, has been particularly successful with 
it, the material used being fertilised by his own process, and which 
cannot here be described. His plants of Mardchal Niel Rose rooting 
solely in this moss, confined in comparatively small pots, were wonder¬ 
fully floriferous this spring, the foliage being large, clean, and healthy, 
and the blooms fine and richly coloured. One plant in a 9-inch pot 
produced sixty blooms, and several others did nearly or quite as well. 
For house decoration Roses rooting in fertilised moss only are parti¬ 
cularly serviceable, as they can have a soaking of water prior to being 
turned out of pots and suspended or trailed about in various fashions- 
Captain Thomson also grows Gloxinias, Tuberous Begonias, and a 
variety of other plants solely in moss, and the growth is most satis¬ 
factory. Mixed freely with compost, fertilised moss serves to keep it 
porous and sweet, and the plants evidently derive much benefit from 
its presence in the soil, none more so than Bouvardias.—W. I. 
- We are informed that Kew has recently acquired by purchase 
from Mr. F. Curtis, a descendant of William Curtis, the founder of the 
“ Botanical Magazine,” about 1650 original drawings, chiefly of 
figures which appeared in that publication. They belong partly to the 
first series and partly to the second, from 1800 to 1826—that is to say, 
during the period that the magazine was edited by Dr. Sims. Many of 
these drawings are very beautiful, and very carefully coloured, especially 
those done by James Sowerby and Sydenham Edwards ; but some of the 
finest of their work was not reproduced in the plates. The collection 
also includes some of the poorest work that ever appeared in the 
magazine. In 1815 Sydenham Edwards seceded, and worked for the 
